“I wasn’t hidden, not like you,” she told Ava. “I was the last to be born. The one who put the blocks in place was killed by Protectors, so Father needed me, you see? You all needed me. And Father kept me close so I’d be ready when it was time to bring you all home.”
“Home?” Ava swayed on her feet a bit, blood trickling from her nose. She wiped at it absently, and Emma caught her wrist, brandishing Ava’s red-stained palm.
“Once we get home, back to Father, it won’t hurt anymore,” she said, wiping Ava’s hand with the bloodied napkin. “He helped the others. He’ll help you too. You’ll see.”
Ava said something incomprehensible, and Caleb shouted, pounding against the invisible barrier impotently.
“He won’t stop,” Emma said with a warning glance his way. “He’ll take you to the Council, and they’ll keep you imprisoned, drug you, dampen your gifts—anything to keep you under their control. You know they’re afraid of you already. If they knew what you could really do, they’d never stop trying to get their hands on you.”
“He wouldn’t . . .” Ava shook her head slowly, but her eyes, wide and almost glazed, remained focused on Emma. “Caleb wouldn’t do that. He loves me.”
The wall wavered, and Caleb took one cautious step forward and then another.
“No,” Emma said firmly. “He’ll never let you use your power. He’s afraid of it.”
Caleb took another step toward Ava silently, afraid to shift and startle her.
“I’ll never betray you, Ava,” Emma said, her palms on Ava’s cheeks. “We’re sisters. We’re family. I only want what’s best for you.”
Caleb reached out and took Ava’s wrist.
She turned on him, her eyes flashing as she ripped her hand from his grip, threw it up, and threw him away. He flew through the air, slamming into a half-uprooted tree.
“Ava, no,” he pleaded, panting as he tried to center himself. “Please. Come back to the Colony with me. Let me help you.” He started toward her once more, but she threw him again, and he landed in a heap on the ground.
“No!” she shouted. Then in a quieter, uncertain voice, she said, “No. You can’t . . .”
“That’s right,” Emma said with an icy smile in Caleb’s direction. “No one can stop us.”
Caleb got to his feet, staggering a little as he held his hands up in what he hoped was a placating gesture. “Ava, you know me. I love you. I would never hurt you.”
She slammed him against another tree and held him there, the bark cutting into his back, his feet dangling above the ground.
“Stop, Ava. Please.” His voice cracked as Ava’s hold tightened. “Remember what Emma can do. She changes memories, twists your free will. She’s manipulating you. She’s using you like she used me.”
Ava took a step toward him, her head tilted as she watched him fight against her invisible bonds.
“She’s a Rogue, Ava. You can’t trust her.”
“No,” Ava whispered, tightening her grip even further.
Caleb couldn’t breathe; his ribs cracked under the pressure.
“It’s a lie,” Emma snapped. “Finish this. He can’t be trusted.”
“Ava, no.” He gasped for breath, his head swimming at the lack of oxygen. “I love you.” Darkness crowded in at the edges of his vision, shadows taunting him with images of his death.
“Please . . . Ava. I love you.” And Caleb couldn’t tell if the words actually made it out of his mouth or simply echoed in his head.
Ava looked deeper . . . inside.
Just like the bear.
She rooted under and around, through skin, muscle, and sinew, searching for Caleb’s most vulnerable places. The tender spots that would get him to stop. To listen. To understand.
“No . . .” He was quieter. No longer shouting.
That’s good.
“Ava. End this! “
Ava faltered when she felt his power. It seemed so familiar, somehow.
Peaceful.
It sparked memories of soft touches and warm smiles. It reached out to her, curling tendrils tingling with warmth tracing over her skin. She could see . . .
“Kill him!”
His heart. Beating so slowly now. His power pulled away from her . . . reluctant, almost pleading.
“No . . .”
His heart.
“No . . . I can’t.”
Her heart.
“Kill him!”
“No!” Ava whirled on Emma, and the girl flew across the clearing and landed in the dirt with a grunt. Without waiting another second, Ava ran to Caleb and threw herself into his arms.
“Ava, no!” Emma shrieked as she staggered to her feet, shaking off her surprise and reaching out to Ava with her gift. “You can’t!”
“Caleb.” Ava sobbed, her head tucked into his neck as she clung to him. “Please . . .”
Without wasting another second, Caleb wrapped her in his arms and shifted them away.
Chapter 15
Ava’s knees buckled when they hit solid ground, and Caleb was no better, both of them slumping to the damp grass in a pile of limbs. He drew a deep breath, and she felt him shudder before pulling her gift back enough to release him.
“I’m sorry . . .” Ava’s mind swam with confusion—thoughts of Emma, her sister, Caleb . . . blurry images of what she’d done, and the world tilted on its axis as Emma’s compulsion weakened.
Hands turned her over, examining her for injuries, and Ava realized for the first time that they were back at the Colony, and they weren’t alone. Gideon hovered over her with Tiernan, the sky lightening slowly behind them and casting their faces in shadow.
“What happened?” Gideon asked. “Whatever you were doing set off warning bells with Simeon—our sensor,” he told Ava when she looked at him blankly. “Good lord, Ava, you’re covered in blood.”
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice wrecked and raspy as she wiped at her nose. The flow had lessened considerably.
“It’s Emma.” Caleb coughed, sitting up and holding his ribs. “She’s a Rogue. About a quarter mile due east.” He gasped out the words, gingerly lifting an arm to point in the direction of the trail.
“On it,” Tyra said, already gathering men and weapons and heading off through the woods.
Tiernan shot another worried glance Ava’s way before joining the group.
Gideon helped Caleb to his feet, wincing at his pained whimper. “Are you all right?”
“Fine. Few cracked ribs, I think, but they’re already healing.” He didn’t look in Ava’s direction.
She felt sick. Things were beginning to fall into place now that the cloud of Emma’s influence was lifting. She’d believed what Emma told her, felt it true to the very core of her being.
She’d hurt Caleb.
Gideon turned to help Ava, and Caleb snapped, “Be careful.”
“I’m not going to hurt her.”
Ava’s heart sank when Caleb flushed and looked away. “He’s not worried about you hurting me. It’s the other way around,” she said flatly, getting to her feet and swaying at a rush of dizziness. “Emma influenced me, but I’m all right now.”
Kind of.
Ava wondered if she’d ever truly be all right again. The thought of someone tampering with her so intimately, so powerfully—she felt violated and ashamed.
“Better get Adam, just in case.” Caleb still wouldn’t look at her.
“I said I’m fine!”
“How are we supposed to know that for sure?” Caleb asked, nodding at Gideon as he called Adam back over the radio. “I’ve been under Emma’s control. It’s not an easy thing to escape.”
“Well, I’m not trying to kill you, am I?” Ava shouted, and her face crumpled as she broke out in sobs and collapsed back down into the grass. She was so tired. Her head ached, throbbing pain with every heartbeat. Breathing was a chore.
It was only a moment before Caleb’s warm arms encircled her, his gift reaching for hers just as his body did.
She slumped into his chest, whimpering, “I’m sorry . . . I’m so sorry . . .” over and over again.
He murmured reassuring things as he rubbed her back with big, warm strokes. She couldn’t decipher the words, but they soothed her nonetheless. Eventually, she calmed, sniffling quietly into Caleb’s strength as he told his father an abbreviated version of what had happened.
“Sisters,” Gideon muttered—again—as he helped Caleb get Ava to her feet, the two of them practically carrying her limp body inside.
She shivered, the warmth of the common building a welcome relief. “Half sisters,” she said coldly, and Caleb chuckled.
“Good to see you’re back,” he said.
Ava still couldn’t laugh about it, but she forced a small smile, leaning into him and inhaling his comforting scent. “Are you sure you’re all right?” she asked.
He leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “I’m fine. Barely feel it anymore.” He twisted a little as proof once they entered Gideon’s office.
Ava spotted a futon along one wall and claimed it for her own. Caleb sat next to her and drew her close as Gideon paced.
“So you’re a part of this grand plan of Borré’s.” He fumbled in a cabinet for a jar of R-cubes and tossed it to Caleb, who took a couple for himself and handed two to Ava. “And there are ten more of you,” Gideon said.
“I’m not part of any plan,” Ava said stubbornly and popped the cubes into her mouth as if that ended all conversation on that topic. “There’s no way I’ll help the Rogues.”
“Sorry, wrong choice of words,” Gideon said distractedly, obviously still lost in his own thoughts. “But somehow you broke free of her control.”
“I could feel her,” Ava said finally, the memories clarifying the more she thought about them. “I could feel her doing it, but somehow . . . I didn’t care. But when Caleb—” She brushed at her eyes, swallowing thickly. “I could tell something was wrong, but I couldn’t break free, not entirely.”
“Ava’s mind has always been exceptionally strong,” Caleb said, his low voice lulling her. “I couldn’t blur her memories for any length of time, and my compulsion never stuck. And that was before the block was lifted. Once I shifted her far enough away, it seemed like Emma couldn’t maintain the link.” His voice held a hint of pride.
Pride Ava felt was unwarranted. “Or maybe she gave up when she realized we’d go after her.”
Gideon’s radio beeped as if on cue, and he answered gruffly. Ava wasn’t surprised to hear the report that Emma had vanished.
She sighed, Caleb’s fingers stroking her arm and relaxing her. She yawned, and he pulled her down so her head rested in his lap. The cubes dulled the headache—barely—but she was still so tired.
She fell asleep with Gideon ordering a search of the forest and Caleb’s fingers in her hair.
Ava’s stomach rumbled, but she couldn’t bring herself to eat. She sat between Tiernan and Caleb in the common room, huddled over sandwiches and lukewarm coffee, and she toyed with the bread, breaking off pieces and crumbling them between her fingers. She’d slept for a couple of hours curled up with Caleb on the futon, and she almost felt back to normal.
Almost.
Her head still throbbed a little, a reminder of the huge output of power she’d displayed. Caleb assured her they’d figure it out, but Emma’s words haunted her.
“Once we get home, back to Father, It won’t hurt anymore.”
Her father. A Rogue bent on taking over the world.
Perfect.
Tiernan waved a hand in front of her face, and she looked up to see him watching her carefully. “You sure you’re all right?” he asked.
“I wish people would stop asking me that,” she grumbled but then sighed heavily. “I’m fine. Just a bit overwhelmed by it all, you know? Not every day you find out you were created for world domination.”
Tiernan snorted. “Think pretty highly of yourself for someone who couldn’t even move a training block until a few days ago.”
“Yeah, well, I can sure do it now.” She eyed him, the challenge clear in her gaze. “You want to try me?”
Tiernan laughed, but it was Caleb who spoke. “Probably best not to push yourself until we figure out the headaches and nosebleeds,” he said. She knew what he wasn’t saying. They had no idea if there was any lasting damage, or if there would be.
“Not to mention the little fact that I’m still wanted for murder,” she said with a grimace, shoving her plate away.
“I think it’s safe to assume the Rogues are behind that as well.”
“But why? What could they possibly hope to gain?”
He shrugged. “Pretty simple, actually. To limit your options. You can’t go home. You won’t go to the Council. Reveal the Colony to the Protector”—he eyed Tiernan— “or to the Council, and you have no place here as well. You have nowhere to go but to them.”
“But I’m not going to reveal the Colony’s location,” Tiernan said, leaning back in his chair. “I suppose they didn’t account for that.”
“Which means the plan isn’t foolproof,” Caleb said. “They are ahead of us, though. From what Emma said, I think they may already hold the key to what’s happening to Ava, physically.”
“Well, we better figure it out soon,” Tiernan said before swallowing the last of his sandwich and washing it down with coffee. “We’re going to need Ava to go up against the Rogues. Especially if there are more of her out there.”
“Not more of her,” Gideon said, taking the seat across from Ava. “Others like her.”
Caleb nodded and shared knowledge from his time with the Rogues. “Borré is the father of all of them, but they all have different mothers. Each woman was carefully screened and chosen for her unique gifts in an effort to pass those gifts on to the offspring.”
“So he created an army of superior Race, each with different abilities?” Tiernan asked.
Gideon nodded. “It makes sense. They’d work together, each having a role in his plan.”
Ava groaned, her head falling forward to clunk on the table and narrowly missing her plate. “It’s so ridiculous. Like a comic book. He made a Justice League, only with villains.”
“You’re not a villain,” Caleb said.
“So not the point.” She stood up, throwing her hands in the air. “Don’t you get it? This was all part of his insane plan. Every single bit of it—us finding the Rogue lair . . .” She shot a glance at Tiernan. “Getting Emma . . . that’s why it was so easy, you know? The whole mess with Caleb and Borré’s escape—probably even Borré getting captured in the first place! He’s played us like pawns in his little game, and I’m sick of it!” She collapsed back into the chair at the thought of Officer Simmons. “People have died—are dying—and all because of some twisted plan to manipulate me.”
“It didn’t work.” Caleb reached for her hand.
“Regardless,” Gideon said, “it looks like the time has come for them to collect these . . . Twelve . . . and put their plan in motion. The good part is—”
“There’s a good part?” Ava knew she sounded like a child. She didn’t care.
Gideon shook his head slightly. “The good part is that Ava’s shown us The Twelve aren’t puppets. They have to either be lured to the cause or compelled—which would be difficult to do if they’re all as strong as Ava. Perhaps that’s something Borré hadn’t counted on.”
“Which means,” Tiernan said, sitting back in his chair and tugging at his lip briefly, “that if we can get to some of them first, we might have a weapon against Borré’s plan.”
“But how are we supposed to find them, let alone convince them to join us?” Ava asked.
They were all silent for a long moment, exchanging significant glances.
Ava’s stomach sank. “Oh no,” she said slowly. “You can’t really think—”
“It’s the only way, Ava. They have far more tools at their disposal,” Caleb said, reaching for her hand under the t
able.
She turned wide eyes on Gideon. “And you agree? After everything, you want to go to the Council with this? They’ll lock you up and throw away the key!”
“Not if we do things right,” Tiernan interjected. “I can help ease the way. And I’ll get Katherine in on it, too. She can be very convincing.”
Caleb tried to reassure her. “Rafe will help.”
“And Andreas,” Tiernan said.
Caleb looked a bit surprised at that but didn’t comment.
“But what about . . .” Ava’s eyes trailed to Gideon, who was watching her, his expression unreadable.
“Madeleine will do what’s best for the Race,” he said quietly. “She always does. We’ll just have to convince her that working with us is the best option. The only option.”
Ava’s heart ached for the Guardian leader. After what he’d revealed about his relationship with Madeleine, Ava could only imagine what it would be like for him to face her again.
But if he could do it . . .
“All right,” she said, nodding firmly. “Okay. I’m in.”
Emma Reiko made her way to a nondescript house in the suburbs of Seattle, ignoring the driver she’d compelled to give her a lift once she’d made it out of the Canadian wilderness. He hummed along with the radio, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, and the girl huffed in irritation, tempted to push him to drive across the country once he dropped her off, just for the fun of it.
Humans really were so annoying. But his car was comfortable and fast. And with her gift, speeding tickets weren’t a concern, so all in all, it was worth putting up with him.
“Turn right at the next corner.” She checked her reflection in the visor mirror before snapping it back into place. “Third house on the left.”
He pulled to a stop in the driveway and got out of the car, running around to the other side to open Emma’s door.
She got out, nodding at him and earning a dreamy smile for her efforts.
So. Annoying.
“On your way, now,” she told him, touching his forehead as she toyed with his mind. “You never saw me or this place, all right?”
The Guardians (MORE Trilogy) Page 23
